Release roadmap

Source: View source Version: Announced roadmap (2026-09-17) Review: Source checked Last reviewed: 2026-09-17

Announced schedule · reviewed 17 September 2026. Dates describe published plans and may change. This page is not a live service-status display.

Release roadmap separates the announced launch milestones from later content plans. Use Game access for entitlements and Beta changes for dated research and corrections.

Dated milestones

Milestone	Published date
Beta window	17 September–21 October 2026, as labeled in Blizzard's access announcement.
Launch	4 November 2026.
New raids unlock	9 December 2026.

After launch

Blizzard's recap describes further raids, dungeons, quests, PvP updates, expanded world content, Hardcore, and a reworked iconic raid. See Raids for Hyjal Summit and Barrow Deeps, and Realmless rulesets for the announced Hardcore rules.

Launch and raid opening are separate milestones. A raid preview or discovered item model does not establish that its rewards are obtainable on launch day; Datamined previews explains how to read those reports.

Reading schedule reports

Icy Veins' roadmap guide combines a schedule with predictions drawn from older WoW releases. Those cadence predictions do not establish Forever patch dates. This page retains the directly supported milestones and links the announcement for future revisions.

Early name reservation creates characters before launch; it does not establish a gameplay head start. Its access requirements are listed in Game access.